Merry Christmas from Andrea and Me!

In our Christmas pj's and playing our Christmas harmonicas

Hoods down and ready to sleep...and await a visit from St. Nick.

Andrea enjoying her pistachio cupcake at Sugar Sweet Sunshine

Andrea in front of the famous tree at Rockefeller Center

The tree

Snowflakes decorating Saks

Fun window display at Saks 5th Ave

More of the Snowman windows at Saks

Lots o' snowmen

Here is a look at my Christmas decorations. I came up with the garland idea myself.

The tree all lit up

Without the flash so you can get a better look at the decor.

The first snowfall of the season. Before it turns into brown slush.

Maybe we'll have a white Christmas afterall!

Best. Celebrity. Sighting. EVER!!!!!

Who is this person you ask? It is none other than Michael Kors: fashion designer extraordinaire, master of the quick-witted fashion commentary, and judge of my favorite reality show Project Runway.

I saw him last night as I was walking along 42nd Street across from Bryant Park. I saw a group of people ahead of me and I thought, "hmmm...the fellow carrying that tote bag sounds a lot like Michael Kors." So I quickened pace to pass and glance, and lo and behold it was indeed Mr. Kors. It really put a smile on my face.

No, I didn't go up to talk to him. He was surrounded by an entourage and it was one of my more dowdy days. However, it would have been nice to ask him why Ricky the Weeper is still on the show. Maybe Ricky will get the "Auf..." tonight.

Hooray for Christmas Goodies!

I absolutely love Christmas goodies and Christmas baking. I think that is the one thing that really puts me in the Christmas mood. The music helps too, but I love poring over holiday cookbooks trying to decide what treats to make. Then I usually just go with what I always make: Cream Wafer Cookies, Peppermint Thumbprints, Almond Roca and gingerbread cookies. This year I have already tried to new treats for two different gatherings. I made a minty, chocolate covered wafer cookie and a holiday candy fudge bar. (I can't think of the actual titles at the moment. heehee.) You should try them. You can find the minty chocolate one in the December issue of Everyday Foods, and I posted the other recipe on the food blog I contribute to: Food for Thought. (Check out the link on the side.) Happy Baking!

Of all the goodies, I think the Cream Wafer Cookies are my favorites. It's a family tradition. I also like the fact that when I make them as gifts, people rave over them. (It is not an unknown fact that my self-esteem is strongly linked to the food I make.) So, I will for sure be making them again this year. As for the other treats, I think I will make more of the chocolate minty ones, Nanaimo bars, Peppermint Thumbprints, gingerbread snowflakes and lemon bars. I might make more, but I am still undecided. It all depends on time. My little sister will be in town over the holidays (So, yes, I will stay in NYC for Christmas), and she will have to lend a hand in baking. I don't know if that was one of her goals for her trip to the city...

So, what are you baking this year?

After two hours of waiting, the parade finally begins.


It's Dolly Parton! I guess that would be yet another celebrity sighting

Over here Big Bird!

Sesame Street supposedly takes place in New York. I have yet to find the neighborhood on a map.

Hello, Kitty!

Lifehouse. Really? Do they have a Christmas album or something?

Hi-ho, Kermit the Frog here.

Oh good, Santa's arrived. Now we can go eat.

Using my mad knife skills to carve the turkey.

It's pretty, but let's eat.

I am thankful for Thanksgiving

I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving. It really is my favorite patriotic holiday. It's probably because I really like food. But I also always enjoy spending time with my family. In the days leading to yesterday's holiday, I must admit I felt a twinge of homesickness when I thought about the drive from Seattle to Spokane that I had taken to be with family. I missed everyone tons, but I am THANKFUL to have new traditions to make here.

Sure, I stayed here last year, but I didn't stay in NYC. I actually went up to my friend Brenda's house in West Point. I had a really great time, but this year I wanted to stick around for the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.

To be honest, when I crawled out of bed at 5:45 Thursday morning, I nearly regretted that decision. I really wanted to sleep instead of standing outside waiting to see something I could watch on television. But as soon as the first balloons came by I was as giddy as a little girl to actually be watching the parade live. I was fortunate that we had amazing weather. It was really warm (and I was grateful that I decided against the long underwear). The floats were great--my favorite was the Sesame Street float. I just love Big Bird. I was actually glad that it was a "celebrity" I recognized. If it wasn't for the high school kids next to me I would have never known who Corbin Bleu was.

The parade you watch at home is actually a lot longer than it is in real life--depending where you stand. My roommate Lynette and I stood on the corner of 72nd and Central Park West (just outside the famed Dakota Building where John Lennon once lived) which just so happens to be five blocks south from the beginning of the parade. By the time the first float reached Herald Square we were waving good-bye to Santa Claus. Next time I go to the parade, I will try to be in that same general area. But I will probably get their earlier, bring a camp chair, and check the weather so I can dress accordingly. I may have left the long johns at home, but the big pouffy sleeping bag coat was a little too much for the 60 degree weather.

I did have a really nice dinner to attend. A few people from my former singles ward (including a pastry chef) organized a rather large Thanksgiving get-together. Somehow they managed to put enough tables and chairs in a typically small apartment for about thirty people. Surprisingly, I didn't feel overcrowded. The hosts handed out food assignments, so we had plenty of food. I was asked to bring pies. Let me tell you I was a little apprehensive about bringing dessert to the home of a pastry chef, but luckily everything looked and tasted fine (I brought a pumpkin pie and a French apple tart). Phew! I even had the fun job of carving the turkey. I was a little hesitant because for some reason I have always felt that it was "the man's job" at big fancy meals. None of the boys wanted to wield the knife, so I went to town. Thanks to Martha Stewart and my dad, I handled the task pretty well. Oh, thanks also to some pretty fancy knives that I now want for Christmas. Hint, hint.

It was a really great evening, and I feel even more THANKFUL for the wonderful, talented people I know here in New York. They make a great second family. I also really liked the fact that the trip home takes 20 minutes instead of four and a half hours.

Ooopsies

Did you know that when you write a draft of a blog post, save it, and come back later Blogger will catelogue it as the day you began to write not when you actually posted it. So, in order to read the story behind the following pictures, please scroll past the daffodil entry.

Thanks and enjoy!

PS. In that long story, I forgot to mention that I got sick in Arizona and didn't get to see a former missionary companion and her kids. I was really sad about that.

Michelle, me and some yummy treats from Sugar Sweet Sunshine


A quick little shopping excursion with Mary. Thanks for taking me on my shopping errands!

Mary's son, my manicurist

The best full shot of the dresses

I had to lean over a lot because I was wearing 4-inch heels

Nate and Erin

I love cake. This one in particular was lovely and delicious

A row of jack-o-lanterns. Mine is the 2nd from the left

A scary person and a pirate.

OK kids! Greet the trick-or-treaters!

I am a Daffodil What Flower Are You?

"You have a sunny disposition and are normally one of the first to show up for the party. You don't need too much attention from the host once you get there as you are more than capable of making yourself seen and heard."

My cousin Alicia (and all of her fans) have taken this quiz. I was curious and decided to follow suit. After all, I am another of Alicia's fans. I am amazed that the questions came up with that answer; it is surprisingly accurate. Especially that "first to show up" bit.

PS. Sorry about the length of time in between posts. I have been incredible busy and haven't been able to finish writing my recap of a recent trip. Hopefully this Saturday (while I am watching all the shows I DVRed this week) I will be able to put up some stories and pictures. Until then, what kind of flower are you?

I Took a Trip!

Yikes! About a month ago I took a trip to Utah for my best friend's wedding, and afterwards I swung down to Arizona to see my sister and her family. I have been wanting to write about this very fun trip for the past few weeks, but I have been a little busy. I even started writing it but it was taking too long. So now I am trying again.

As I mentioned in the opening paragraph, I headed to Salt Lake for a wedding, but I took advantage of the trip to visit friends from BYU. In fact, I visited with two friends that I have known for ten years. For me, that seems a little mind-boggling. My family moved around quite a bit and I'll be honest I'm not super about staying in touch. (That's why blogging ROCKS!) So I was more than pleased to visit friends that I have known for an entire decade. It really is the mark of a great friend. So, if there is a theme for my trip it would have to be "The Tour of Super Fab Friends."

My first visit was with former roommate and creative superstar Michelle (author of the Where Flowers Bloom Blog). Since she manages a craft store at BYU, we met for a quick lunch at the Cougareat. We had salad wraps and a whole lot of fun. We reminsced about that crazy semester we lived together in 1997 (seriously crazy, complete with Honor Code violations and mental illness--umm not us, don't worry). I adore Michelle. She is amazingly creative and has a very uplifting personality. I just wish I had more time to visit.

I also wish I had a chance to shower before seeing her. My alarm clock didn't go off that morning, so if I had taken a shower I would have missed my flight.

Since the wedding took place in Salt Lake, I decided to stay with my friend Mary and her family. Mary is the other friend I've known since 1997. She, however, was a coworker from my days as a custodian at the Conference Center. She was also my most faithful non-familial corresponder on my mission. I was very glad that she let me stay with her. As I've mentioned before, I'm not so good with emails and calls, but we had so much fun at BYU (toilet papering, "scavenger hunts," X-Files, ballroom dance...), and I have really tried (could be better) to stay in touch. Mary has a sweet little boy that I bonded with rather quickly. I was so glad that he wasn't shy around me. We read, played basketball and gave eachother manicures. Funny story. He pulled out the nail clippers and asked me to clip his nails. When I was done, he decided to return the favor. So I had a few really short nails for the wedding, but that's ok because short nails are preferred when using black nail polish. Anyway, I had fun with Mary. In a lot of ways it felt like we were back at BYU, but with less X-Files.

The Friday night before the wedding, I hung out with my friend Carrie whom I've known since my last year at BYU when we both lived in the Foreign Language Housing Complex. She knows loads of languages and for that I am totally jealous. I just know two. We ate Thai food and saw Lars and the Real Girl. Very unexpectedly hilarious and not at all what you may think. So see it. Anyway, it was fun hanging out with Carrie. I always wanted to know her better at BYU, so I'm really glad I have managed to keep contact. (See self, it's not too hard.)

Saturday was finally wedding day, and I am so glad that I was able to attend. Erin and I were pretty inseparable in Seattle, and I must say there have been times that I wished I could have convinced her to move to New York. But obviously she had an excellent reason to stay in the city. I miss my shopping, tv, music, food, magazine, etc...friend. As you can see from the pictures I posted of the wedding, she looked lovely as usual, and I looked pretty stylish in that trendy boutique dress I bought for the occasion. I really wished I had a chance to spend more time with the bride. We had lunch and hung out for a bit on Friday, but what with wedding stuff and family, it was limited. But I enjoyed every minute of it.

The reception, held in a beautiful room at the Joseph Smith Memorial, was great. We ate good food and there was this terrific jazz combo that covered songs from Coldplay, A-ha, Alphaville and other cool bands. I also sat near a couple of other friends from Seattle: Sarah and Torrey. (Yeah friends!!)

The next day I was off to Arizona to see my sis, her spouse, my niece and nephew. Did you know that in the fall it is still warm in Arizona? It is. My sister thought I was silly because I was wearing my green fall/winter coat when she picked me up from the airport. It didn't fit in my suitcase.

Since it was Sunday, I attended church with the fam. I also got to help my sister out in the nursery--a little place that I like to call instant birth control. haha. Actually it wasn't that bad, surprisingly. The kids didn't scream, and one or two let me hold them. There was one little girl that had this icky snotty nose and she refused to let us wipe it. She used her hand and had a great snot stripe across the cheek.

Monday evening I had dinner with another friend (I know, that's a lot of friends. I must be kind of cool) from Seattle. LeeAnn moved to Arizona about the same time I moved to NYC. She really is having a good time in that brown state. We ate at Mimi's Cafe and they gave us free muffins. Afterwards LeeAnn showed me her fancy condo that is, yes, bigger than my apartment. One of my favorite things about LeeAnn is her giggle. It is very infectuous. So, to entice the giggle, I showed her my favorite Flight of the Conchords song on YouTube. If you have never seen "Business Time" I demand that you stop reading this and check it out. Then please come back. Come to think...you should also see "Can I Have Your Number." As desired, LeeAnn giggled.

I was really fortunate to be with my niece and nephew at Halloween. I got to carve pumpkins with them, see them in their costumes and teach them how to greet Trick or Treaters. I pretty much said it was o.k. for them to talk to the kids who came requesting candy. Outside of the holiday, it was fun hanging with Sam and Liz. They played their musical instruments for me and I got to find out a little about their friends and such. I even impressed Sam with my Converse sneakers. Oh yes, I am that cool. Liz and I shared a room and we even got to tidy up together.

I really liked spending time with my sister. We didn't always get along when we were adolescents, but over the years our relationship has gotten better. However, I do blame her for my new-found Nutrageous love. That is a mighty good candy bar. I am glad that she let me chat her ear off, and she indulged my desire to try In-N-Out burger.

I have a great-uncle who lives in AZ as well. He took me and my sister out to lunch at his favorite restaurant. He knows all the waitresses there, and he flirts with each and every one of them. It's kind of fun to watch. I ordered the meatloaf sandwich. I know, rare choice, but when you crave meatloaf you just have to indulge.

I think that is all I can remember from my trip. Oh! One more thing. Congrats to my brother-in-law for taking 8th place in that shooting competition. And, that was some tasty acorn squash.

So now I am back home from that much needed trip. Please allow me a quick moment to wax a little personal. Here in the big city I feel have struggled to find good friends, and I have felt lonely a lot more than I admit. This trip reminded me that I do have good friends and I need to do better at staying in touch. An added bonus to the trip, upon my return Heavenly Father has helped me see that I do have good friends here as well. And yes, I have to do my part to stay connected to them as well. Lesson learned.

Big Girl, Small Spaces

As you can probably imagine, I have a pretty small bathroom. If, while primping over the sink, I should happen to drop something, it usually lands in the bathtub or toilet.

You don't know how many things I've had to replace.

I currently do not have a photo of said small space. I'm typing this from work. And by "work" I mean that place where I go to do freelance work until someone takes pity on me and hires me.

New Blog Alert!!!

I have a very important announcement to make. And, no, this has nothing to do with a boy. My very good friend Michelle has started an all-food blog and has asked me to contribute. I am very honored. Michelle is a creative genius, and I am very humbled that she would ask me to lend my skills to her new blog. I am even happier to note that my cousins will contributing as well. (I do come from a foodie family.) You will be able to check out all entries at the "Food For Thought" link located near all the other blogs I love.

Of course, I am now wondering what my first entry will be.

Poor Ichabod Crane. At least I survived with my head.

My newest celebrity sighting.

Ghosts in the graveyard.

Eerily-lit working mill.

I don't like graveyards in the dark.

Happy Halloween Everyone! In honor of one of my favorite holidays, I thought I would recount a recent trip I took to Sleepy Hollow for some scary festivities.

It is always a treat to leave the island, but without a car I don't get that opportunity very often. So, when the when some girls from church decided to take a trip to Tarrytown, I was in. I really don't know much about Tarrytown, but I learned that right next to the village of Tarrytown is the legendary village of Sleepy Hollow. I was really excited; I had no idea that Sleepy Hollow was 1) a real town and 2) so close to New York City.



Sad to say, I must complain about my high school education. We studied American literature in 11th grade, but I do not recall ever reading any of Washington Irving's stories. Humiliatingly, I must admit, my only familiarity with The Legend of Sleepy Hollow was thanks to the Disney animated featurette. (Which, by the way, do they not show it so regularly during Halloween?) Nonetheless, despite my lack of knowledge of the tale, I was more than excited to make myself familiar with the legend.



The village of Sleepy Hollow threw themselves into celebrating Halloween and their most popular legend. The town reminded me of Stars Hollow--the fictional town in the TV show Gilmore Girls--where the whole town contributes to the fun. Of course Tarrytown and Sleepy Hollow was all decked out in Halloween finery, but the main attraction was a haunted village in a park called Phillipsburg Manor. I believe this manor is part of a Carnegie or Rockefeller estate, but I do know that it is a historical attraction/interactive museum complete with a working mill and gift shop.

After arriving to the manor we walked down a path lit by old-timey lanterns and haunted by teenagers trying to scare their friends. I was a little concerned that this would be a scary-horror-filled haunted mansion. I don't like haunted houses except for the one at Disneyland because, really, that one is far from scary. Luckily, this was a family activity, so it couldn't be too scary for five-year-olds or chicken adults. (There is no shame in that.)

The wooded path eventually led us to a quaint farm yard with a barn, farmhouse, garden and the aforementioned mill that was "haunted" by villagers dressed up as ghosts from the colonial era and a troll. The first attraction was a storyteller who, while decked out in colonial costume, recounted the Legend of Sleepy Hollow and other ghostly folklore from the area.

Nearby I saw a vendor selling spiced donuts and hot cider. I'll be honest, I made a beeline for that stuff. It really isn't fall without a spiced donut and cider. Since fall hasn't really arrived in New York yet, I thought the donut and cider combo would at least help me feel like it has. (Seriously folks, I was wearing a short-sleeved shirt under my lightweight jacket...and it was nighttime!) Treats in hand my entourage and I walked around the rest of the village. We passed by the haunted barn where colonial-era ghosts were dancing traditional dances, a juggler, a pirate band, and a graveyard with punny headstones.

The highlight of the evening was a visit by the Headless Hessian Horseman himself...or someone dressed up as the ghoul. Sadly by this time the camera batteries died, so I don't have a picture of a headless personage riding by on a black horse and carrying a lit jack-o-lantern. But it was rather neat. Apparently he made a couple of appearances throughtout the festival, so we actually waited by a split-rail fence to see him. I imagine it was a lot like waiting for the Great Pumpkin to appear, except the Headless guy didn't give out toys.

After we made our way through the village, my friends and I went up to the Old Dutch Church to look at the incredibly old headstones. In fact, Washington Irving was buried there as well as the Revolutionary War soldier who, as the legend goes, got his head shot off during the war and now rides up and down Sleepy Hollow looking for a new head. So, folks, it appears that Mr. Irving did not just make that up--it exists. So maybe I really did see that actual ghost afterall.
Gladly, we did not stay in the graveyard too long. It is a little disconcerting hanging out there around midnight...especially in a town filled with spooky legends.

We made it back to New York with our heads fortunately, and I even bought a children's book with the actual legend. Now I don't have to rely on Disney for the details.

Not that I needed a reason to love them more...

As many of you may already know, I kinda like the band Keane. Ok, that's an understatement. I have actually entitled them Favorite Band For Life. I am sure I've mentioned this a few times, and perhaps have detailed the anguish and joy of recent concert drama. (If you are new to the blog, check out the archives and you will find the whole story.

Anyway, today while browsing news articles at my current freelance gig, I came across a story in the Chicago Sun-Times that makes me love this British trio just a little bit more:

NOT KEANE ON BRITNEY

Britney Spears asked the British pop trio Keane to write something for her; they've written songs for Gwen Stefani and the Pussycat Dolls, but the lads refused, says the Mirror in England.

"There are some things we definitely won't do," keyboardist Tim Rice-Oxley told the paper. And he poured salt into the wound: "Gwen, and Nicole from Pussycat Dolls, are phenomenally talented, and we wouldn't want to start diluting that level of musical quality."

I'm not sure how much I agree with them helping the Pussycat Doll girl because I am morally opposed to the girl-group, but you should all check out the Gwen/Tim Rice-Oxley song "Early Winter." It's a stellar song and is in the top 25 most played songs in my iTunes. It may have even broken top ten.

A jolly good meal

Fried Cod with a load of chips

It isn't fish and chips without some malt vinegar

So good I fell over while trying to take the picture

The Verdict: A good, solid thumbs up. But is that good enough?

Sorry for the delay Uncle Bruce!!

About a month ago my uncle Bruce sent me on a mission to try out a New York fish and chip restaurant featured on the Food Network. I happen to like fish and chips (see the post about the Chip Shop) and was more than happy to accept the mission. The fish and chip place in question is called A Salt & Battery, and is located in a part of Greenwich Village that some people are attempting to call Little Britain.

To be completely honest, Uncle Bruce, I had already eaten at A Salt & Battery. I liked it, but to give a more accurate review I did go back two weeks ago to try it again and take the above pictures. Here is my review:

Authenticity:

I grew up on Skippers and Ivar's fish and chips, and let me tell you, I have no complaints. But it certainly is nice to step inside a fish and chip place manned by our English-speaking friends from across the pond. I think that any fish and chip establish with Brits behind the counter speaks for its authenticity. After all it is traditional English fare.

Food:

I ordered the cod and also asked for a small side of chips and a ginger beer. I was a little concerned abou the batter because I recalled that the last time I was there it didn't stick to my fish. That is very important. This time I was not disappointed--the batter stuck! The crispy piece of cod was placed on top of a nice bed of chips. Real chips, real chunks of potato instead long thin fries.

Before digging in I splashed on the malt vinegar. The first bites were really hot so it was hard to ascertain the flavor at that moment. I did toss a few flecks into the tartar sauce. I am not a fan of tartar sauce, but this was good and tangy. My roommate Angie said it was the best she had ever tried. Once cooled, I ate wholeheartedly. It was good and greasy. I do wish they had seasoned the fish a little bit, however.

The chips were very good. I must say I do like potatoes, especially when fried (and mashed, but that's another story). They weren't as crisp as I was hoping, but fortunately not greasy.

I washed it all down with good ginger beer. The good kind that burns the nose. No, it was not real beer.

Summary

A Salt & Battery is a very small restaurant that maybe sits about six people. Angie and I were very lucky to get a place to sit. The menu offered an assortment of fried fish and seafood, meat pies and British soft drinks and ales. They even had fried candy bars. Next door to A Salt is a British market called Tea & Sympathy where one can stock up on Cadbury, tea and tinned food.

It was really good food, much better than Ivar's. I think you will like it, Uncle Bruce. If you geta chance to come to New York, you will have to eat there.

But how does it compare to Chip Shop? I think I like the Chip Shop a little better. The batter was better and thicker, and not as greasy. The chips were a little crisper. Plus the food was served on actual dishes instead of a disposable basket. However newspaper would be the authentic serving ware, but I guess us American might be a bit squeamish about using newspaper for a plate and napkin. I haven't been back to Chip Shop since early September so I may need to have a refresher meal.

However A Salt & Battery is one 30-minute train ride away, whereas the the Chip Shop is around a 45-minute, 3 train journey. Sometimes convenience wins over for the best fish and chips meal.

**Disclaimer!! I'm not a great photographer



This one's better

I swear this had no alcohol

Nostalgia

Many of you may know that I am not a soda drinker. I really don't love carbonation. I also don't drink a lot of juice. I like to drink water and soymilk (not together), and the occasional diet coke (usually only medicinally when I have a headache). So in a very rare moment at Whole Foods I decided to grab a bottle of Fizzy Lizzy carbonated juice. It wasn't just that I was hankering for grape soda--it was Yakima Valley Grape Juice. Like Proust's famed madeleine cookies, I was brought back to memories of my childhood.

All growing up my mom canned her own grape juice from fruit picked in the Yakima Valley. When my siblings and I were old enough mom and her friend Elaine dragged all the kids to the vinyards to go grape picking. I will be totally honest, this really wasn't a fun activity. After all it was work. Hard work with sticky grape clusters that were hard to pull off the vine, dust and dirt, and worst of all--bugs. Somehow the bees and yellow jackets loved to chase little girls covered in grape goo. At least how that seemed to me.

I am sure us kids complained a lot, and I am even more sure that we were told more than once that if we wanted grape juice we had to help out. Of course Warren, Byron and I got a bit of revenge and played with some cattails. While we played the cattails exploded and their cottony innards flew around and eventually got stuck on our grape covered bodies. I wish I had a photo of that.

How was the Fizzy Lizzy carbonated fruit juice? It was good, but not as good as mom's (or Elaine's) grape juice that we worked so hard to make.